“A Peculiar People!”?

Introduction

Has anyone ever called you peculiar?

Have you ever called anyone peculiar?

Can you think of anyone that you might consider peculiar?

What does it mean to be called peculiar?

Does it have a bad connotation?

Is it a good thing to be called peculiar?

Well, over the next several minutes were going try to answer some of these questions and see what the Bible says about being peculiar.

Orient to the text

In the first letter from the apostle Peter, he addresses it primarily to the Hebrew Christians but it also has a genuine application to all believers in Christ.

In 1 Peter 2:9-10, Peter address Christians as, you guessed it, peculiar! But not just peculiar, let’s see what he says

Read the text

Opening prayer

Transitional Statement

This morning I would like to look at 4 phrases mentioned in these 2 small verses that hold a lot of truth for believers today. The first phrase I want you to notice is that we are a…

A Chosen Generation

  • Election
  • Deut 7:6 “For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.”
  • C.I. Scofield said that election is “The sovereign act of God in grace whereby certain persons are chosen from among mankind for himself, and whereby the certain elect persons are chosen for distinctive service for him.”

Transition

Not only are we a chosen generation, we are also called a ...

A Royal Priesthood

  1. Until the law was given, the head of each family was the priest
  • Genesis 8:20“And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.”
  • Genesis 26:24-25“And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake. And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged a well.”
  • Genesis 31:54“Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount.”
  1. When the law was proposed , the promise to perfect obedience was that Israel should be to God “ a kingdom of priests”
  • Exodus 19:5-6“Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.”
  1. But Israel violated the law, and God shut up the priestly office to the Aaronic family, appointing the tribe of Levi to minister to Israel, thus constituting the typical priesthood.
  • Exodus 28:1-3 > TURN TO
  • Explain
  1. In the Church Age, all the Christians are conditionally constituted a “kingdom of priests”, the distinction which Israel failed to achieve by works.
  • Revelation 1:1-6 turn
  • Explain

The priesthood of the Christian is, therefore, a birthright, just as every descendant of Aaron was born to the priesthood.

  • Hebrews 5:1-4turn
  • Explain v4
  1. The chief privilege of a priest is access to God.
  1. Under the law the High Priest could only enter into “the Holiest of all”,and only once a year.
  • Hebrews 9:6-8 > turn
  • Explain – 2 rooms
  • First tabernacle
  • Holiest of all
  1. But when Christ died, the veil, a type of Christ’s human body was rent, so that now the believer– priests, equally with Christ the High Priest, have access to God.
  • Hebrews 10:19-22 > turn
  • Explain
  • Enter in by the blood of Jesus – the way is already opened
  • The means of this access -- “By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated (literally -- dedicated) for us…”
  • The veil no longer blocks access to God, nor does human nature

As Christ’s body was torn on the cross, so the veil between God and men was torn, giving immediate access to God.

  • V21-- Just like in O.T. times, when the all the Aaronic priests had a one High Priest that was over them

Today, Jesus is our High Priest and we are the believer priests under him, but we have the same access to God the Father as Christ does as our High Priest. So we need to come boldly unto his throne!

  • V22 – Draw near has the idea of coming to God frequently, openly, intimately and without hesitating, but always with a cleansed heart ( v22 -- “with a true heart” )
  • Hebrews 4:14-16 > turn
  • Explain v16
  • Believer priests need to always come boldly unto God the Father, because Christ is, right now in the presence of God, therefore, we can have confidence and boldness to come before the throne of grace at any time with any concerns or fears.
  1. In the exercise of this office, the N.T. believer-priest is also …
  1. A sacrificer who offers a fourfold sacrifice
  1. His own living body
  • Romans 12:1-2 “ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

  1. Praise to God
  • Hebrews 13:5“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
  • Compare to next verse
  • Exodus 25:22“And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.”
  1. His substance
  • Galatians 6:6 “Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.”
  • Galatians 6:10 “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”
  • Titus 3:14“And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.”
  1. His service, that is, to do good
  • Hebrews 13:16“But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”
  1. The N.T. believer- priest is also an intercessor
  • 1 Timothy 2:1-2“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

Transition

We as Christians are not just a priesthood of believers, Peter also calls us a …

A Holy Nation

  • “Holy”
  • In both testaments, the same Hebrew and Greek word “holy” is translated “sanctify” or “consecrate”
  • The one uniform meaning is literally to “set apart”
  • In both testaments the word is used of things and of persons
  • Sanctification
  • Webster defines it -- the state of growing in divine grace as a result of Christian commitment after conversion
  • In scripture, when sanctification is used of persons, it has a threefold meaning
  1. In position
  • Believers are eternally set apart for God by the redemptive work of Christ on the cross

Hebrews 10:10 “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

  • Positionally, therefore, believers are “saints” and “holy” from the moment of believing
  1. In experience
  • Believers are being sanctified by the work of the Holy Spirit through the Scriptures

John 17:17 “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

Christ’s high priestly prayer to the Father on our behalf

  1. In consummation
  • Believers’ complete sanctification awaits the appearing of the Lord

1John 3:1-2 “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

Transition

Finally we as get to the title of my message, we as believers are not only a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation. We are, as the Apostle Peter calls us; we are…

A Peculiar People

  • Literally means “people of his own”
  • Webster defines it--characteristic of only one person, group, or thing. // different from the usual or normal – Distinctive
  • Sometimes the word indicates the securing of a desired possession
  • Sometimes it means a preservation or salvation
  • Here it is a tremendous word of encouragement .
  • These are a people greatly prized
  • a people to be saved
  • a people for a possession
  • The Greek word (peripoiēsin) means, “A people for a possession;” that is, as pertaining to God.
  • They are a people which he has secured as a possession, or as his own;
  • a people, therefore, which belong to him, and to no other.
  • In this sense they are special as being His; and, being such, it may be inferred that they should be special in the sense of being unlike others (unique) in their manner of life

Transition to Conclusion

As we have just seen, we as believers, are called different names and have several responsibilities, regarding are position as a follower of Christ. But they each have one purpose, and Peter points that in the latter part of verse 9.

1Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:

Darkness is the emblem of ignorance, sin, and misery, and refers here to their condition before their conversion;

 Light is the emblem of the opposite, and is a beautiful representation of the state of those who are brought to the knowledge of the gospel.

The word marvelous means wonderful; and the idea is, that the light of the gospel was such as was unusual, or not to be found elsewhere, as that excites wonder or surprise which we are not accustomed to see.

The primary reference here is, undoubtedly, to those who had been pagans, and to the great change which had been produced by their having been brought to the knowledge of the truth as revealed in the gospel.

1 Peter 2:10 “Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”

Peter rounds off this important doctrinal truth with some words from the Old Testament prophet Hosea.

Hos 1:10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.

Hos 2:23 And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.

The question you need to ask yourselves, that I need to ask myself is..

Are you peculiar ?

Am I peculiar?

Challenge

My challenge to you this morning is this:

Do you act like a chosen generation

Do you act like a royal priesthood

Are we as Christians a “holy nation”

And finally, is everyone hear unique in their manner of life? Are you peculiar?

Close in Prayer